INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines - The all-pro Powerade Team Pilipinas departs for Taiwan Thursday for its last workout in its quest to get back to the global cage landscape by taking part in the Jones Cup championship starting Saturday.

The Filipinos, who tapped the services of Wynne Arboleda to take the place of the injured Ryan Reyes, open up their campaign against Jordan at 7 p.m. at the Hsingchuang gymnasium.

This team was assembled last November by the Philippine Basketball Association in an effort to make the World Championship in Istanbul, Turkey, next year, the qualifying tournament of which will be played Aug. 4 in China.

That’s why the Jones Cup is an integral part of everything for the Philippines as it will give coach Yeng Guiao a gauge on how far he can really go in Tianjin, China.

Aside from Jordan, other Fiba-Asia qualifying teams that are also in the Jones Cup field are Lebanon, South Korea, Japan and Kazakhstan, as well as two Chinese-Taipei teams that are also expected to contend heavily in China.

Of the Philippine team members, only Jayjay Helterbrand, Cyrus Baguio and Mick Pennisi will be left behind and will arrive only on game day unless the Fiesta Cup title series between San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra does not see a deciding seventh game tomorrow.

Arboleda, meanwhile, was tapped by Guiao to man the point for the Philippines with Reyes, a former PBA Rookie of the Year, likely to be out for the Tianjin joust because of a hamstring pull sustained in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association championship in Indonesia last month.

Japeth Aguilar will see action in the Jones Cup, his first stint with the National squad.

Completing the RP team are skipper Asi Taulava, Sonny Thoss, Kerby Raymundo, James Yap, Gabe Norwood, Ranidel de Ocampo, Jared Dillinger, Willie Miller and Arwind Santos.